Glossary
The chemical makeup of raw honey, which consists primarily of sugars (approximately 80 percent, mainly fructose and glucose), water (14 to 18 percent), and a complex mixture of enzymes, organic acids, amino acids, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and aromatic compounds that give each honey its unique character.
Honey's sweetness comes from two primary sugars: fructose (approximately 38 percent) and glucose (approximately 31 percent). The ratio of fructose to glucose varies by floral source and determines several honey characteristics. Honeys with higher fructose stay liquid longer (like acacia and tupelo), while those with higher glucose crystallize quickly (like canola and dandelion).
Honey also contains smaller amounts of about 25 other sugars, including maltose, sucrose, and various oligosaccharides. These minor sugars contribute to flavor complexity and include prebiotics that support beneficial gut bacteria.
What makes raw honey different from simple sugar syrup is everything else it contains. Honey includes the enzyme glucose oxidase, which produces small amounts of hydrogen peroxide giving honey its antimicrobial properties. Invertase breaks down sucrose into fructose and glucose. Diastase aids digestion. Catalase regulates hydrogen peroxide levels.
Raw honey also contains trace amounts of vitamins (B2, B3, B5, B6, C), minerals (calcium, iron, zinc, potassium, magnesium), amino acids, organic acids (gluconic acid is the primary acid giving honey its mildly acidic pH of 3.2 to 4.5), and a rich array of antioxidant compounds including flavonoids and phenolic acids.
No. While honey is primarily sugars and water, it also contains enzymes, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and organic acids. These additional compounds give raw honey its antimicrobial, antioxidant, and health-supporting properties that refined sugar completely lacks.
Honey's antimicrobial action comes from multiple mechanisms: the enzyme glucose oxidase produces hydrogen peroxide, the high sugar concentration creates osmotic stress on bacteria, the low pH (3.2 to 4.5) inhibits most pathogens, and some honeys contain additional antimicrobial compounds like methylglyoxal.
Yes. Heat from pasteurization destroys enzymes like diastase and glucose oxidase, and ultra-filtering removes pollen, propolis particles, and some antioxidant compounds. This is why raw, minimally processed honey retains significantly more nutritional value than commercial honey.
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